Richard Smerin



was born in London, England in 1960.

He first picked up a guitar at the age of seven, and within three years was playing competent folk and blues.

His first public performances in 1974, saw him hailed as a child prodigy. In later teenage years he was described as the best young guitarist in the country.
In 1979, Richard Smerin moved to Copenhagen and quickly established himself on the Danish music scene. As well as numerous solo concerts, he found himself opening for many name acts, including Joan Armatrading, Alexis Korner and Bert Jansch. He has kept in contact with Jansch ever since, and describes him as his favourite folk guitarist.

Back in London, following an invitation from Alexis Korner to attend a concert by B. B. King, Bobby 'Blue' Bland and John Lee Hooker at the Hammersmith Odeon, Smerin was asked to open for B. B. King at the Carlton Theatre, Birmingham.
The years that follow saw Richard Smerin building on this solid foundation, playing a mountainload of gigs, large and small. In 1994, a collection of original material 'In Retrospect' was released, and the success of this was followed by the hugely critically acclaimed C.D. 'Q. - M.U.D.', recorded in Berlin in October 1996.

Now living in the south of Germany,

1999 saw two further C.D. releases from Richard Smerin.
'Still Living Off The Smerin Diamond' was recorded live and solo in Schlachthof, Fürth. The concert was heralded as a 'total triumph' by the local press and Smerin's performances of self-penned songs, (some over twenty years old) as well as his acoustic renditions of Chicago blues numbers left the audience 'exhausted but happy!'

'This Body's Got To Go' contains fifteen brand new original songs recorded with a full rock band. Including East German blues hero Bernd Kleinow on harmonica, this C.D. has been described as 'the best ever made in Franken.'Not content with these last two efforts, September 1999 saw a further CD release from Richard Smerin. 'Personal' is an acoustic collection of new Smerin songs. Guitar, vocals and once again, a superb contribution from Bernd Kleinow.